Players should not expect softened approach to Adderall

The Bucs have been linked to problems with the prescription drug Adderall on at least two occasions this season, with departed cornerback Aqib Talib drawing a four-game suspension for using it and cornerback Eric Wright reportedly facing the same penalty.

Now, one NFL player is saying that no player should be penalized for using the substance.

“People do take it for medical (purposes),” Hill said, according to Newsday. Hill says he takes the drug for his ADHD.

“I know there are other people who do take it . . . to be up, to have fun, things like that, but some people really need to take it because if they don’t take it, then what? There’s going to be problems. People are going to be agitated and things are going to go on. There’ll be people like me, I can’t take it no more.”

But Hill fails to acknowledge there are scenarios under which players can take Adderall. They must work with the league office to gain approval to use it for a legitimate medical purpose.

What was Talib using it for? And what about Wright, for that matter?

Whatever the answer, neither should expect the league to alter its policy anytime soon. The NFL’s position is that the substance is an amphetamine, one that has potential performance-enhancing qualities. Therefore, it has made Adderall a banned substance on that basis.

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